A week ago my column in the Irish Times dared to suggest that maybe, just maybe, dirt cheap aviation á la the Ryanair model (now aped by our former national carrier as well) is perhaps not the world’s best idea from an ecological standpoint. Nor indeed is it such a smart move to consume more and more of our strictly finite (and diminishing) oil reserves in a binge of largely needless, prodigal flying.

Let’s be honest, there’s nothing remotely cheap about global aviation, other than the ticket prices. And since airlines dump a toxic trio of key emissions (high-altitude CO2, nitrous oxide and the manufacture of aviation contrails, which are also exercising a warming effect) without paying a penny towards dealing with this growing emissions mountain, maybe it might be time, whisper it, to consider getting the airlines to ‘fess up and pay up their share – no more, no less (and we won’t even mention the massive subsidies they receive in, among other things, tax free fuel). (more…)